Maria Bevans-Lopez is participating in the Drawdown Ecochallenge 2026!

Maria's points

0 TODAY
65 THIS WEEK
271 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

33

meatless or vegan meals

consumed

Maria's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meals each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Visit the Coast

Macroalgae Protection and Restoration

I will visit a coastal or ocean site to experience the ecosystem and look for the presence of macroalgae/seaweed.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Calculate My Household Carbon Footprint

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 60 minutes learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Maria Bevans-Lopez 3/23/2026 4:53 PM

This last week was a bit rough. I'm starting to realize how much meat we actually consume in our household.

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Maria Bevans-Lopez 3/13/2026 9:02 AM

I'm not going to lie it hasn't been easy. Mostly because I have a lot of meat in my house that I had already bought and not enough veggies or things to replace it so I have been struggling with this challenge. I also am not the only one who buys food in my household and my dad is a believer in needing meat to get protein so there is always going to be meat in the house. However I have been trying to cut down as much as possible.

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- Kinsey Lathbury 3/22/2026 7:54 PM
  
  My family owns a BBQ restaurant, so I totally get the family pressure on what the "ideal" diet is. Doing as much as you can is good! Love your honesty!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our bodies, our planet, and other people?
Maria Bevans-Lopez 3/02/2026 9:12 AM

I believe richer countries eat more meat than people in other places because its not only more easily accessible economically but also because people like having dietary options. It could also be due to cultural reasons. However, eating meat can increase our chances of developing diseases such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Meat consumption is also a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Eating more meat also affects other people as it creates food scarcity ( through the overuse of resources) .

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